Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1887-06-18
THE QUEEN NOT STRONG.
As She Appeared ut the Opening Of the
Peoples Palace.

As She Appeared ut the Opening Of the
Peoples Palace.
Mr. smalley's Letter to the New York Tribune.
The Prince and Princess OF Wales came by
quarter to 5, cheers accompanying them. The
princess was in a gown which / took to be OF
black velvet, whereof the corSage and skirt were
slaShed into crimson lozenges. She has long
passed for the best-dresSed and beSt-mannered
woman in England. nor was 1t to-day that
any one would dispute either title with her.
Her beauty is only the more brilliant for
that tall young woman OF twenty in a dun-colored
studiOusly simple frock, who Is her daughter. The
prince, like the duke. figures as a field marshal,
and both have the blue ribbon of the garter Talk
goes on everywhere; on the platform and about
it, and sautatiOns are exchanged freely. Prince
and princess recognizing friends and acQuaint-
anceS right and left. II either bows mods to
lady low courtesy Is returned; not an easy thing
TO manage from a crowded bench, but 1t has to be
done. and 1t is surprising how well 1t is done.
II Is ten minutes past when the trumpet Is
heard outside that heradS the coming Of the queen.
The whole audience floor and galleries alike arises.
Doors are flung open; choir and leader wait breath
less and before we, who are near the platform,
catch any glimpse OF the head OF the procession,
'.God save the queen" breaks forth. 1t is stately
welcome, but the music slenceS the cheers which,
fancy, would have been more musical still to the
royal ear. Nobody regards the group Of men who
lead the way; the one wish OF those thousands in
SIDE OF the hundreds OF thousands outside, is to
see how the queen looks. The first comment
i heard from lady near whom stoOd-a
beautiful American In black, whose name would
tell II dared and say how charming she Is II
were not too faint-hearted. "The queen has got
new bonnet cried she. This new bonnet was
Black, with something white or light gray in it;
her gown all black. She moved slowly, and,
thought, YEARLY, and not strongly. Never had
seen the rublcund face OF English majesty so near
the usual complexion Of the English women. She
looked not precisely pale, but wan. The short, rO-
tund figure had all its singular dignity OF old, but
less than its old vigor and activity once more
i whether |
be ring so royalty maintained by woman to
whom nature had denied the physical gifts which
are thought to go with distinction OF department.,
but OF whom birth and fifty years OF sovereignty
have bestowed a manner quite matchleSS. The
cneers oroke OUT as the song died away, but less
spontaneously than II men had had their way with
their own voices at the beginning, and the queen
acknowledged them with Denign1ty.
There was the usual pause. The prince, who
had met his mother at the top OF the Steps to the
platform, talked TO her for minute while the
functionaries arranged themselves; then the cere
The queens carriage was an open dark blue Ian
dau large and heavy on springs, panels emilia
Zoned with the royal arms no box, rumble behind,
drawn by four black bays grOomed TO a nicely
with harness and trapping5 on which the saddler'S
art had said its last word SNOWY, almost gaudy.
The two postillions in black jackets and white
breeCheS were boys TO look at, but might
be OF any years; nothing is so uncertain
S d doe w 90 human Wbe Del5 SIs Sno
drew up at the foot OF the red-carpeted
platform there began series OF curiously eIabo-
~ d
rider, and Clark, Highland gillie in semi-succes-
sion 10 the late John Brown. were none TOO many
for the work that had 10 be done Skids were got
out and the oil mind wheel was blocked fore and
art lest the nervous team start While her majesty
Is getting in. The harness looked over, strap by
strap and buckle by buckle, rapidly but surely
Clark lets down the steps OF the landau, gets ill.,
arrangeS the wraps, clears the back seat, dances
about to make sure of the springs, finally Jumps
up and down on the lower step TO make sure OF
that also. He is not feather-weight but nothing
gives.
This fandango finished, the queen appears at the
door, The lord chamUerland and lord stew ard are
showing her The way-the former, Lord LathOm, a
marked figure with his streaming full gray beard
Her majesty IS leaning the arm of the Prince OF
Wales, and leaning heavily Her coming and go
ing have been made easy TO her by a gangway
draped In the eternal red cloth; otherwise just
like She coyered-in gangway provided for pasSen-
gers who step ashore from channel steamer. Her
majesty Is subject TO nausea, but happily seems
not 10 notice me silniiaridy The police must
about the queens personal safety. The naif
dozen spectators OF this scene were allowed to
stand within couple OF yards. Nothing would
have been easier than TO do mischief mischief had
been In any bOdy'S mind, as happily It not. The
queen walked very slowly and heavily down her
gangway; the lord Chamberlain waving his long
wand and retreatlng sideways before her. Clark
stood by the open carriage-doOr. Her majesty
seemed not TO be aware OF the little group
looking on; she had passed out OF the hall and
beyond the gaze OF strangers, she thought,
and had dropped for one moment the mask
she had worn inside. The eyes We're luSterieSS
the muscles OF The face had relaxed; its pieness
WAS more than ever noticeable; the eyes weary;
there was something that looked like a touch or
ill-temper at some incident that had not gone TO
her liking. Not d word was spoken; there was no
cheer nothing broke the deferential silence or the
court yard but the stamp OF horses feet and the
clank OF steel The murIuur or the multitude came
from outside, but no cheer for To them the queen
was not yet visible She sci her foot on the step
OF the carriage, but the effort was too much for
her, and she had to be heIDed-I had almost
said holsted-1n by the prince side and
Clark on the other. The venerable figure stumbled
In somehow; dtlneaD0r not at That moment an
object OF consideration. once in, the queen re-
arranged all the wraps Clark had arranged Tor her.
IL was a minute before matters were 10 her taste
Meantime Princess Christian and Princess Beatrice
were waiting. When their mother had settled her
self on the back seat IN SOLITARY grandeur the two
daughters entered. then with bang the door
closed. Clark clambered into the rumble. Colonel
BY nS rode up To his place just Deilu The door, the
OutrIuero started on and the huge machine with
Its royal freight got under way. rhe guards pre-
SenLed arnS-1t was done one man, Or Father as
by a machine. he Lie Guard, wheeled and
fOrmed up; Tor one moment the courtyard was all
glitter and animation; steel Cldohcd and plumeS
waved and horses curveted against their bits and
the gravel shrieked under the wheels. faint
cheer rose from the few the PLATFORM hats were
raised, the queen bowed sadly. In another mo-
nlent all had vanished, II IL larry scene
Inc courtyard was empty, and from beyond its
high walls came a roar oil human voices as the
people once more Saluted their queen.